A Snowflake Fell and It Was As a Kiss
by amyraklaire
Summary: Aster Goodwill finds herself thrust into Middle-Earth and in the middle of Mirkwood forest no less. Join me as we accompany her on a journey of toil and love.
1. Chapter 1

Legolas' footsteps could be heard as they echoed down the hall to his father's chambers. He nodded at the guards as he entered, " _Ada_." His father stood looking out upon the forest from his balcony, "Yes, my son." He turned his head slightly to listen, "The council has arrived. They wish to begin immediately." Thranduil turned, his robe bellowing out behind him as he walked back into the room, "Take them to the Great Hall, I will be there shortly." He didn't bother telling Legolas that he was already aware of their company's arrival. Lady Galadriel had made herself welcome into his mind. Apparently something of great importance had arisen of which she needed to speak to him privately, after the meeting. Sighing at the arguments to come, he made his way to the Great Hall himself.

Lord Elrond was already sitting at the table while Galadriel was standing and talking to Legolas. Further down the table was Haldir, Lindor and Cervil talking quietly amongst themselves. At the guard's announcement that he had arrived they all bowed and took their seats. Elrond spoke first, "The spider situation here is only growing and fast. How do you plan on taking care of it before they branch out into the other realms?" Thranduil nodded, "It is true that their numbers have grown. The reason as to why is still a mystery. I have summoned you here to help me think of ways to prevent their expansion towards the outer reaches of Mirkwood." The next several hours were full of stratagem and talk of war due to the appearance of new orcs roaming around. Within in due time, a plan had been devised and dinner was ready to enjoy.

Dinner itself was full of _ellon_ and _elleth_ from council's realms. A young _elleth_ had managed to get a seat quite close to Thranduil. She was trying with all her might to get him to notice her. He decided to engage her in conversation, although it would never go further. She was beautiful, as were all elves. The dress she wore was of a crimson shade and made her pale figure almost seem to glow. Her raven black hair fell softly upon her shoulders. Galadriel noticed the interaction between the young one and the king. She smiled inwardly at what she had to talk about, the mirror had already shown her what was to come if he acts upon the news. His whole world was about to be turned upside down. The _elleth_ smiled and blushed as the King complimented her on her appearance. "Do my words please you so?" she nodded unable to speak. Smirking he looked up to examine the room. Galadriel had been watching and looked down at her plate. Legolas had a group around him, no doubt he would decline them all. His son was very particular. After the feast he walked the halls thinking over the day's events.

" _Thranduil, Á tulë sinomë. I'm in the inner gardens." Lady Galadriel called to him._

He was used to giving orders, not receiving them but he made his way there. The moonlight was bright this evening, casting a few rays down the hall as he neared the exist. The flowers shone bright, winter was approaching and they were clinging to life as long as they could. Galadriel stood tall next to a twisting Birchwood, in her hand a silver pitcher. She turned her head to look at him, "Would you look into the mirror?" She slowly walked over to it and poured the water in slowly, "It has something it wants to show you." Thranduil was hesitant, he had heard of the powers of the mirror and what it could show. Something pulled him in to look over the edge of the bowl, moonlight shone into it causing his reflection to be intense. Just before he removed his gaze from the clear water, it began to ripple.

It was cloudy at first but soon the image of Mirkwood appeared, it was near the entryway. It zoomed forward, a lone human female was walking hesitantly deeper into the forest. "Where am I," rang clearly in his head as did a slight weeping noise. She was frightened, not just at the woods that closed in on her, but something else. The mirror grew foggy and showed another place, the same human sat at a table during a gathering, but she was all alone. The others were dancing the night away as she sat with enormous pain in her eyes. She was of a bigger size than the others, but it was no reason to cry at a party. He thought to himself. The mirror then flashed back within the woods, closing in on her eyes. They were of a deep hazel color and clouded in fear that was almost palpable thru the mirror.

The mirror went blank and the force that had brought him close was gone and he flew backward a few steps. He gasped at the fear that he could almost feel. Looking at Galadriel with confusion, "Why does the mirror trouble me with the plight of a mortal female." Galadriel waved her arm towards the heavens, "She isn't of this world Thranduil, she is of another. She must have crossed several stars to be here. Confused and frightened, she has been lost in the outer realms of Mirkwood for almost a fortnight." She turned and began to walk inside, "It shows her to you because she's part of your future. It's all up to you my Lord Thranduil. Will you let this human of another world die in fear or will you save her from it?" With that he was left alone. Annoyed with her last words he made his way to his own bedchambers. He needed sleep to comprehend what was happening.

Ada= Father

Ellon= male elves

Elleth= female elves

Á tulë sinomë= Come here


	2. Chapter 2

Alas sleep did not come, instead he tossed and turned. The fear from the mortal woman had reminded to much of the day he fought the dragon. It made him dream nightmares of his daily torment. The scars that would never go away. Giving up he threw his covers off his shoulders and sat up against the head board, his sheets falling lightly down to his waist. Sweat glistened upon his brow and chest from the nightmare and he used to sheet to wipe it off before getting up and throwing on his robe. He hoped maybe finding the female would release his mind of this fear. Before he could think further his advisor, Cervil, came running into the room, "My Lord, a Queen Spider has been spotted near the outer realms!" He called for a guard to awaken Legolas and Tauriel. A servant girl was helping him dress when they arrived. Meeting their gaze with serious eyes, he spoke "We ride at once, a queen spider was spotted near the outer realms. We must hurry before she disappears."

* * *

Aster's eyes fluttered open as her body began to go cold, her fire had gone out again. Slowly she stood up and stretched her body to warm it back up. Looking in her pouch she found much to her disappointment that she had run out of food. If it hadn't been for Ashley she wouldn't have had any at all. Thinking of her dear friend made her grow homesick once more. Aster had been in these woods for almost two weeks, she had counted the days. After day three she knew it hadn't been a dream as she had hoped. She was able to keep warm because her younger days as a girl scout had taught her to build fires. Ashley had thrown lots of granola bars in her pouch to save money at the festival, so food had been good until last night. As a medieval and fantasy enthusiast she had carried with her two canteens. One was completely empty and the other almost the same. She had passed a river not too long ago but the water seemed dangerous and without a pot to boil it she had to ration what she had.

The trees seemed to wind around each other and beckoned this way and that. Eerily beautiful as it was, Aster hoped she was nearing a town of some sort. After her water ran out she would only have about a week to survive. She didn't want to die here alone. She tripped, groaning she stood and wiped her hands on her gown. She was extremely clumsy and this hadn't been the first time she fell. Her once nice medieval clothing was now covered in dirt and grime. As was her face and hair, even if she did find society she wondered if they would turn her away as a beggar. The sounds around had begun to grow ominous with each step that she took further into the woods. The fear was beginning to take hold that she would never find help. The last thing she remembered was the dances after the feast. She had sat and watched her friend, newly engaged, dance with her betrothed. It had made her heart ache because she had never been loved. Used, of course, but never actually loved and cherished. Sadly, she wouldn't be there for the wedding.

Standing in one spot wouldn't help so she decided to follow the path that she had found herself on the first day. Hearing her stumble growl she began to talk out loud to herself, "Oh, quiet you. I've probably lost a few pounds by now, I know there isn't much to eat. You always did say you wanted to lose some, well now you are." It didn't help, the hunger only grew as the day drew on. She couldn't see the sky, so she wasn't sure if she was close to civilization or not. Coming upon a tree that looked easy to climb, Aster realized that that is what she probably need to do. Carefully she stepped onto the first root and then upon the first true limb. The next few were the hardest as she had to hoist herself up on them. If anyone had been watching, they would have found it funny to see her short legs flailing around, she thought to herself. Looking down at the forest floor, she suddenly felt like this had been a bad decision. Aster wasn't really fond of heights, but she knew she had to make it to the top. It seemed to take forever as she had to keep stopping and swipe cobwebs away. These trees were infested with bag worms!

The last few branches almost brought tears to her eyes, finally she'd see the sky and what lay beyond. As her head poked out from the autumn colored leaves, a mass of blue butterflies poured from the trees around her. "Oh my, how amazing!" She whispered. The sky was a blue and filled with clouds. Orange and brown colored trees went on in every direction as far as she could see. There was a lake and some mountains. Suddenly in the distance some trees had begun to move, as if a giant animal was pushing threw them. Fear gripped her heart and she quickly made her way down. The cobwebs she had encountered on the way up were more aggravating heading in the opposite direction. Her footing was unsure as she couldn't really tell how far away the branch was below. One foot made contact and the other slipped, causing her to fall the rest of the way down. She fell about 5 feet and landed on her butt. One branch had scraped her cheek and ripped into a sleeve.

She quickly felt her neck for the jewelry that had once been there. Not finding it upon the ground, she looked up the tree to see if it had caught on a branch. Moving to the left she saw something glint in the light, she readied herself to climb up a few branches to retrieve it. While doing so she noticed that some of the branches seem different. Slimmer and quite hairy looking. As she lifted herself up she felt it move and panic hit her chest like a plow. There in front of her was the head of an enormous spider, the branch she had grabbed onto was in fact a leg of the beast. It seemed to study her for a few seconds before lurching forward, it giant pinches moving to close around her face. She fell backwards again but this time when she hit the ground she got up and ran as fast as she could. In just a few moments she found herself tackled and the world around her began to spin rapidly as the spider wrapped her in its clutches. Asters' screams echoed throughout the woods, turning into muffles as she was hauled way.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had risen and provided light for the elves to see by. Thranduil motioned for the party to stop as screams echoed through the forest. He was concentrating on which way they had come from. He turned this elk to the left and made him gallop towards the forest ahead of them. Surely it was the spider who caused such a scream. Perhaps it had come across the woman. Soon they reached area along the path that seemed to have been disturbed greatly. Thranduil dismounted to examine the tracts. There was a set of footprints walking towards the tree, the person fell twice and then was captured by a spider. Strands of lone web were found along the trail where a body had been dragged. "Ada, look," Legolas jumped down from a branch and held up a necklace in the light, "It seems whomever was taken has lost a jewel." Thranduil looked upon the gem closer and recognized it from the woman in the mirror. He hoisted himself upon his elk, "We must hurry, before the spider gets too far with its prey."

The trail was easy to follow from the indentation of the body and the web being left behind. Web began to weave through the branches and trees. This is where they dismounted and made their way quietly on foot. Trees provided the best cover as they neared the center of the web. The queen's mighty legs could be seen through the gapes of the tress limbs. She was attaching a cocoon to the web for later feeding. The person inside the cocoon was alive, as it kept wiggling around. Two more spiders came up to the queen and they seemed to be conversing. Thranduil motioned for the attack. Legolas dropped down onto one of the soldier spiders and fired an arrow into its eye. Thranduil and Taureil went in for the queen and her second. Tauriel fired arrows into the second and it dropped quickly. The queen reared up on her back legs and charged. Since she had to climb over the soldiers body the King had perfect access to the body. He slid underneath and penetrated the queens belly, slicing as he continued the slide toward the end of her body.

He threw his small sword into the head of the second as Tauriel helped Legolas finish off the other. Retrieving his dagger, he made his way towards the cocoon and sliced it upon. There inside was the woman from the mirror. She looked up at him, her body shaking as she slid to the ground, "Th-thank you." Thranduil looked at her, his head tilted to the side, "Come with us or stay and perish." She nodded and stood, following them to the horses. Tauriel offered her a hand to help her behind her onto the horse, taking her two tries to mount successfully, "Sorry, I never was very good with horses." Tauriel smiled, "It is okay. You have been through quite an ordeal." Legolas trotted up by his father, "Why are we bringing her back to the palace? Surely she should be free to go back to her home." Thranduil didn't bother looking at him as he responded, "Her home isn't anywhere near these woods and she is and expected guest." Legolas nodded but was confused at how she was expected.

Aster looked at the lady in front of her. She was amazingly beautiful, her hair was long and braided back. The color was a reddish-brown, it slightly reminded her of her own. Except her hair was lighter and more blonde. She was slim, yet powerful, or she must be powerful to use the bow that was attached to the saddle. Aster noticed that her ears seemed to curve upwards into a point. "Excuse me, miss. What may I call you?" She turned her head slightly to look back at her, "My name is Tauriel. What do they call you?" Maneuvering herself to get a better look at the ear that was in front of her now, "I am Aster Goodwill. May I as a personal question?" Tauriel turned her gaze back to the path ahead of her, "Of course." Aster opened her mouth as Legolas moved back to ridge alongside them. His blonde hair was long and braid also. He was extremely attractive as well. Aster came out of her trance, "Are you an elf?" Tauriel laughed slightly, "That's isn't very personal, I would think it obvious that we are elves." Aster blushed and looked down at her legs, "It's just…elves do not exist where I come from." Tauriel looked back at her, "Oh, well we do exist here. Where do you come from?" Aster was about to answer when their destination came into view, a beautiful palace carved from wood. It was captivating and left her answer but a whisper, "Very far from here."

As they unsaddled another male elf came into the stables, "My Lord Thranduil, Lord Elrond wishes to speak with you." The one who had cut her free turned and looked at her and then to the other male, "Legolas, make sure she is seen by a healer and then take her to Lady Galadriel." Legolas bowed his head, "Yes, Ada." With that her rescuer left with the other one and Legolas turned towards her, "Please, come this way." Aster nodded and silently followed him down many corridors and out into an open space with a large garden and several small cottages. A female elf bowed down as we neared, "Prince Legolas, what can we do for you this day?" He began to talk in what she assumed was elvish and motioned to her. The lady nodded and he turned back to her, "This is Ethylle, she is a healer and will look after you until I have had your room prepared." Aster bowed slightly towards him, "Thank you." He bowed his head in return and walked away. The healer smiled at you, "Please, follow me." Ethylle led her into her home and pointed to a chair, "Do you have any injury's that you are aware of?" Aster nodded, "Yes, I have a scrape on my arm and knees. I think I might have bruised my tailbone." Ethylle looked at her confused, "But you haven't a tail?" She laughed, "I meant my butt." Ethylle blushed and started to make a salve to put on Aster's wounds.

The salve stung, but only for a few minutes. They conversed for a few hours and Ethylle felt herself growing sorry for her. "I hate to say it but I doubt you will see your homeland again." Aster nodded and sighed, "I am afraid of that. Do you think anyone would be able to help me try?" Ethylle smiled, "You have arrived here at the right time. A great elf-witch, the Lady Galadriel, is visiting and she might be able to help you." Aster head popped up, that was the name that the King had told to Legolas. The King was trying to help her get home and it made her heart happy.


End file.
